Hi All-
Just a quick post to post the Feng Shui Fabulous radio show I did for Easter.  Enjoy!

Feng Shui Fabulous for Easter

Hi All-
Happy Easter & Happy Passover to all!

***As we ready our move (FINALLY) down south to sunny Charlotte, Bante Design is offering a GOOD-BYE MILWAUKEE promotion.  Now through April 15, 2012 you can schedule a consultation (clutter-busting, color, Feng Shui or design) for 50% OFF!!!  Yes, 1/2 price!  And, if you reside in the county of Milwaukee, this can be an IN-PERSON consult rather than via the web!  This promotion is available to any & all, the IN-PESON option is only for Milwaukee County residents.  Consultation MUST be completed by June 30, 2012 for a WEB consultation.  The IN-PERSON option must be scheduled for completion by April 20, 2012.  Contact us here if you'd like to take advantage of this GOOD-BYE MILWAUKEE promotion.***

This blog posting will cover 2 topics actually...First, a wonderful opportunity from someone I met through my Women Making a Difference radio show, Stacey Mayo.  She has an incredible energy, is an award-winning author & is currently working with helping people get connected with their bodies to help live a healthier life.  I promised to pass on the info....Here it is:

Most of you are interested in your health. It affects your ability to do a lot of things such as live out your dreams. Sometimes things get worse as we age, but it does not have to be that way if you learn to listen to your body and understand what it is saying to you. 

For instance, if you have kidney problems, it is related to some family issue with kids. Really, it is. (grin). If you have leg cramps, it means you are cramped up about something.

Stacey Mayo, who is a colleague of mine that I have a lot of respect for, learned so much over the past year via working with her own body and that of others and is passionate about everyone to be able to understand their own body and be as healthy as they desire for the rest of their life.

You can consider your body one of your guides.

She is offering you a f'ree audio of a class and a free report to help you understand more about how your body talks to you.

You do NOT have to be a medical intuitive to learn to listen to what your own body is telling you. It whispers to you and if you don't understand it, the whispers get louder and eventually it hits you like a ton of bricks.

This audio and report is for anyone who has had health symptoms and wants to better understand what your body is telling you. 

Register now and receive the opportunity to win personal time with Stacey to release the blocks that are keeping you from being healthy or your proper weight and size.   .

OK...as our thoughts turn from detoxing our bodies & maybe even "spring cleaning" our fridges & pantries...how about those closets?  With SPRING comes a lightening of the soul of sorts, which gets reflected in our homes.  Following are some tips to get you started...

"Clutter is the physical manifestation of our emotional baggage" is The Clutter Counselor philosophy. 

• You must 3 questions of EVERY item: Do you LOVE it?  Do you USE it?  Do you NEED it?  If you can't answer "yes" or are ambivalent, then the item must GO!
• Have 3 piles: Keep, Sell/Donate, Toss.  Again, no rationalizing...you either answer affirmative to the aforementioned questions, and then if getting rid of it, decide if you want to sell it (rummage sale/eBay/consignment), donate it (easiest & quickest) or toss it if it can't be sold/donated or is damaged or outdated.
• Do not let guilt, price (expensive/on sale), sentimentality or the "but...I MIGHT need it..." get in the way of your purging.  You may have needed it at one time, but not now...You may have gotten it at a great deal, but if you don't USE it or NEED it, then you could have gotten it for free & it's still just taking up space.
• If the item is something you bought for status (my neighbor has one!) or because you think you SHOULD have one (doesn't everyone need rotary saw?...uh, no) but again, you don't use it, or even know HOW to use it (ask me about the garlic press story...ugh!) it needs to go.
• Your "stuff" should be a reflection of who you are NOW & where you are going, not where you were.  Items should be used & well-maintained, otherwise, you don't REALLY care about the item.
• Once you've gone throught "the purge", organizing the space according to HOW and WHEN you use the item is next.  If possible, organize seasonal items accordingly for easy use when needed & out of the way out-of-season.  Utilize the entire space-meaning VERTICAL space, not just HORIZONTAL.  Pegboard and slatwall are perfect for use in a garage, and then you can customize according to what you have & how YOU use it.  Garages don't have to be dirty, dark and scary places...
• Remember, your clutter is the "physical manifestation of your emotional baggage"!  Do not keep things out of guilt or because you think you "have to"...it must serve a purpose & be cared for, or it just becomes junk that takes up space, time & energy in trying to maintain, a source of stress/anxiety whenever you look at it (if you don't know how to use something, you get reminded of your "inadequacy" every time you look at it & who needs that?), and takes up space for something you may really want and/or need.